Shopify Flow is Shopify's free, no-code automation app: you build workflows from a trigger (something that happens in your store), a condition that has to be true, and an action Flow then carries out, such as tagging a customer as VIP when an order reaches a set total. It's free on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, but not every action is: the Send HTTP Request action needs Grow or above, and tasks from custom partner apps need Plus.
That plan split is the thing to know before you plan anything ambitious. On Basic you get the app and the core building blocks, which covers a lot of everyday store admin. The moment you want Flow to talk to an outside system through a web request, you're looking at Grow or higher. And two more details tend to surprise people: Flow is only available in English, and staff need Shopify Flow permissions before they can open the app or turn a workflow on.
What Shopify Flow does
Shopify's Help Center describes Flow as an ecommerce automation platform you can use to automate tasks and processes within your store and across your apps. In practice, Flow watches your store for events, and when one happens, it runs the sequence of steps you've set up in response. You don't write code. You pick from the triggers, conditions and actions Flow offers, or start from one of its pre-built templates for common jobs.
The three parts work like this, using Shopify's own example:
- Trigger: the event Flow watches for. In the example, an order is placed.
- Condition: what has to be true before anything happens. Here, the order total is $500 or more.
- Action: the task Flow completes. Here, tag the customer as VIP.
Shopify has also added scheduled automations, so a workflow no longer has to wait for an event. You can choose when Flow pulls data and runs reports, which suits regular checks you'd otherwise forget to do by hand.
Which Shopify plans get which Flow features
Here's how the features split by plan, exactly as Shopify lists them, as of October 2026.
| Capability | Plans |
|---|---|
| Shopify Flow app (free) | Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus |
| Send HTTP Request action | Grow, Advanced, Plus |
| Tasks from custom partner apps | Plus |
Two more limits sit underneath that table. Usage limits follow the API limits of your plan, so a busy store on a lower plan can hit a ceiling a Plus store wouldn't. And Shopify's product page says Flow is available to businesses in all countries on those plans, but only in English, which matters if your team works in another language day to day.
Three starter workflows worth setting up first
Shopify lists a handful of example automations. These three are the ones I'd point most small store owners to first, because each removes a job someone on your team is probably doing manually right now.
1. Pull out-of-stock products and warn marketing
When a product sells out, Flow can unpublish it and send a message to your marketing team to pause the ads pointing at it. That stops you paying for clicks that land on something nobody can buy, and it's the kind of job that slips through the cracks on a busy weekend.
2. Review big orders before they ship
Shopify's example sends an email asking someone to review any order over $5,000 before fulfilment. Pick whatever threshold makes sense for your store. The point is a human glance at the orders where a mistake or a fraudulent purchase would hurt most, without anyone having to scan the whole orders list.
3. Thank repeat customers
After a customer's second purchase, Flow can award loyalty points and send a thank-you SMS. Second purchases are where a one-off buyer starts turning into a regular, so it's a good moment to show you noticed. Pair this with the VIP tag example above and you've got a simple loyalty system running without a spreadsheet.
Shopify's other examples are worth a look once those are running: creating a support ticket and a Slack message when a negative review is posted, and holding or releasing orders for fulfilment on conditions you set in advance. If you sell wholesale, Flow also supports companies and company locations, so you can assign payment terms and send invoices automatically.
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How to set up your first workflow
- Install the free Shopify Flow app from the Shopify App Store.
- Check that the staff who'll build or manage workflows have Flow permissions.
- Start from a template or a blank workflow.
- Pick the trigger, add the condition, then add the action.
- Turn the workflow on and check its run history to make sure it fired the way you expected.
Don't skip that last step. A workflow with a condition set slightly wrong will happily run on the wrong orders, or never run at all, and the run history is where you'll see it. Test with a real order or a low-stakes product before you rely on it during a sale.
Where Flow earns its keep
Shopify pitches Flow as a way to handle the strain of big sales periods such as Black Friday Cyber Monday, and that's where automation pays off most: the orders spike, the team is stretched, and the small manual jobs are the first to get missed. Its product page also quotes the creative director at Malvi on the time Flow saved them, which is the honest benefit here. Flow won't grow your store by itself. It gives you back hours you're spending on repetitive admin.
If you're comparing Flow with the AI tools now aimed at store owners, my guide to AI automation for ecommerce covers a different kind of job, and these Shopify apps for small stores fill gaps Flow doesn't.
My verdict
Shopify Flow is the best free automation most store owners aren't using. It's already included on the plans most of you are on, it doesn't need a developer, and the templates mean you're not starting from a blank screen. Don't try to automate everything in one go. Set up one workflow, the VIP tag or the out-of-stock alert, watch it run for a week, then add the next. Just remember it's English only, and check your plan before you design anything that relies on HTTP requests or partner-app tasks. If you're still deciding whether Shopify is the right platform at all, my Shopify review is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify Flow free?
Yes. Shopify says Flow is a free app available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans.
Which plan do I need for the Send HTTP Request action in Flow?
Grow, Advanced or Plus. Tasks created by custom partner apps need the Plus plan.
Do I need to code to use Shopify Flow?
No. You build workflows from triggers, conditions and actions, or start from one of Shopify's pre-built no-code templates.
Is Shopify Flow available in other languages?
No. Shopify's product page says Flow is only available in English.
Why can't my staff turn on a workflow?
Staff need Shopify Flow permissions to access the app and to turn on workflows, so check their permissions in your admin.
